EECS vs Pre-med at Cal

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Berkeley
1

<p>Hey guys, I'm currently a freshman, one semester in, majoring in EECS at Cal. After first semester, I'm starting to rethink what I want to do. I took physics 7A, CS 61A, math 1B, and an AC class, ending up with a c+ in CS, b- in physics, and A-/As in the other classes, leaving me with a GPA in the 3.15-3.2 range... However, I'm not particularly interested in coding, and CS61A was my weakest class, even though I selected Option IV (computer science) for my major. I'm thinking of going pre-med and switching into a bio field, but I want to gather my facts first. Spring semester I'm taking math 53, chem 1A/1AL, anthro 1, and comp lit R1A as a sort of break from EECS to figure out what I want to do. I'd especially appreciate input from graduates in the fields of CS or currently in med school...</p>

<p>First off, I've been told that going to Cal for EECS opens a lot of doors in finding jobs, and what people have said is that when companies see that you went to Cal, they basically give you a job....However I find this hard to believe, especially if you have a less than stellar GPA. So my question is, what are job prospects like if you graduate EECS with a low 3.0 GPA, especially in the technical courses? What sort of GPA do you need to be considered for "good" jobs? </p>

<p>Second, I've been told that it gets easier as you go along. I found that I absolutely worked my *ss off first semester, and still didn't do as well as I'd like. Is it likely that I'll do better in coming years and have more time for extra-curriculars, or is it likely to be the same or worse? I would like to enjoy college and not be stuck studying all the time, as I've been doing this past semester.</p>

<p>Third, if I wanted to switch to pre-med, I could theoretically bring my GPA up to 3.7/3.8 assuming I get As in all of my L&S/pre-med classes. How likely is it that this will happen? Are the pre-med requirements such as bio 1A/1B and chem 1A/3A/etc absolutely brutal? What kind of GPA do I need to have in order to have a good chance at med school admission (assuming good MCAT, average extra-curriculars)? </p>

<p>Finally, how hard is it to switch into MechE from EECS? I know EECS is brutal, but how is the workload in MechE compared to EECS? And what are job prospects like after graduation? </p>

<p>Thanks in advance for your input!</p>

2

<p>First of all, you do not need to major in biology (or any other particular major) to do pre-med. You can major in engineering (though it would be a very crowded schedule for any other than chemical engineering or bioengineering), math, history, etc. as long as you include the pre-med courses. Biology in particular has poor job and career prospects if you do not get into medical school (most do not).</p>

<p>Of course, pre-med courses will be filled with students all grade grubbing for the same 3.7+ GPA needed for medical school.</p>

<p>For job prospects of various majors if you do not get into medical school, look here:</p>

<p><a href=“https://career.berkeley.edu/Major/Major.stm[/url]”>https://career.berkeley.edu/Major/Major.stm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

3

<p>First off, if you don’t enjoy coding, you should not do CS. The level of coding only goes up (algorithms etc) once you are into the next year or so. </p>

<p>I think you have to take a long hard look at yourself and see what interests YOU. All engineers need a strong physics/math background.</p>

<p>Biology (pre-med) is a different career path alltogether. I think testing the waters next semester is a great idea. Maybe Bioengineering is a good option?</p>

<p>Having said that, if you don’t ‘hate’ coding, you should also think if you are thinking of switching because of your grades or you really dont like coding. Sometimes people stick with getting a EECS degree, then when you get a job, you can do other things like testing, business analysis, project management…not necessarily sit and code all day long…</p>

<p>To add to this “I would like to enjoy college and not be stuck studying all the time, as I’ve been doing this past semester.”
You will be stuck studying a LOT whether you go EECS, Biology (premed) or Engineering. Unfortunately, that comes with the territory. Again, couple of folks I work with went to a CSU for Comp Science and it wasn’t that rigorous :wink: But if you are looking to graduate from a UC with other top notch kids, the level IS probably much higher.</p>

4

<p>I think mainly I don’t feel like I have the knack for coding. To me it seems that it requires thinking in a certain way that I have trouble with. I have no issues with math, and even physics I slacked off and failed both midterms but got 89% raw score on the final…So for me I think I just struggle with the abstraction of CS. That, combined with my poor grades in the class, make me dislike coding. </p>

<p>My main concern is that because Cal has grade deflation, I may not be able to bring my GPA up high enough compared to those kids who were pre-med from the start and got a 3.9 1st semester to my 3.2…I don’t want to give up what could be a good job opportunity from EECS only to not get into a good med school. </p>

<p>I’d like to hear from Cal graduates who either majored in EECS or MechE, or who went to med school, about their college experiences and job offers after graduation. Mainly, how rigorous are the pre-med requirements at Cal and how are the curves, and also what kind of jobs do EECS and MechE majors with around a 3.0 get after graduating?</p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

5

<p>If you don’t like CS, you can still major in EECS emphasizing an EE area (e.g. integrated circuits, semiconductors, power systems, fields/waves/communications). Physics 7B will introduce you to the basic physics concepts behind some of these topics.</p>

<p>As far as grade deflation goes, Berkeley in general only has it in comparison to highly grade inflated schools like Brown and Stanford. However, in most schools, humanities tends to have the most grade inflation, with social studies and engineering about 0.2 behind, and science about 0.3 to 0.4 behind. Of course, there can be considerable variation between schools and individual departments.</p>

<p>[National</a> Trends in Grade Inflation, American Colleges and Universities](<a href=“http://www.gradeinflation.com%5DNational”>http://www.gradeinflation.com)</p>

6

<p>Switching to EE or Mech Engg is a great idea. While I am not a UCB alumni, I do have friends/family who graduated with a Engineering (Elec/mech) degrees and most have had wonderful career prospects. You can catch up on your GPA in the next year or so. Also after the core classes are done, it does tend to get better. Also try getting summer internships after your sophomore year. That combined with an Engineering degree, would give you great career prospects. Yes, Engg is hard, but stick with it and the rewards would be great. I wouldn’t venture into pre-med unless being a Doctor is really really what you want to be. If you like physics/math in general, stick with Engineering.</p>